Balance
by Patricia de Lioncourt
Summary: They had vanquished the Darkness, saved the Unicorns, and the power of light was restored to the lands. But there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Now, things are going a bit haywire and something needs to be done about it.


**Warnings:** implied sexual content  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Legend or any related character.  
**Author's Note: **I haven't written for this fandom in ages. I had to rewatch the movie to get a feel for this. I hope everyone enjoys this! Written for hc-bingo's May Amnesty Challenge.

* * *

Lili returned to her kingdom, triumphant. She praised Jack as the hero of their people, citing of course the defeat of Darkness and the salvation of the unicorns. They held a festival in his honor, and Lili and her people were joyous. In the months following, the weather was warm and mild, providing exactly what the farmers needed to grow the best crops many of them had produced in their entire lives. They were a prosperous people, and all were so consumed with happiness and light that sometimes, when Lili overlooked her kingdom from her castle's tallest spire balcony, she could see it all glowing.

A year passed, and then things took a turn for the worst. It started slow. The reports came in that the animals of the forest were not behaving as they should have been. The autumn months were upon them, and none of the creatures were making their usual preparations for the oncoming winter. Lili's father brushed it off. There was no immediate harm noted, so there was not an immediate need to address what the source of the problem could be. Then, came the crops. They just kept growing. The farmers noted that the nutrients of the soil, necessary for other important crops to grow, were being depleted rapidly by their current crop. But the plants were vibrant and healthy, so there was no real need to destroy something that was still readily producing food for the masses. One of the smaller farms had even _tried_ to destroy their crops, but to no avail. The stalks and vines and stems were all so strong that no weapon could cut through them.

The days were longer than ever before, the sun brighter, and the rainy days that their kingdom depended upon were becoming fewer and farther between. Lili's father, King Jacoby, was becoming increasingly agitated. No one, from the priests to the sorcerers to the new, burgeoning scientists, could give him an exact answer as to why this was happening. Then, one evening, they received their answer in the form of an emissary.

King Jacoby, with Lili at his side, were seated on their gilded thrones at the end of their long throne room. The room was a bright white but kept cool by the fact that it was constructed almost entirely out of marble. Two columns held a small purple and gold awning over the dais that held the thrones, and it matched the long running rug that led from the ornate, ivory doors to just a few feet short of the dais. Two of their royal guards escorted the visitor to the end of this rug.

The creature was shrouded entirely in black, its face hidden by the hood of a ragged cloak. It appeared hunched over, face downcast, as it limped its way to the front of the room, its cloak's jagged edges dragging around it like a torn funeral cloth. Lili felt instantly cold. She recognized this particular type of cold, however, from one other time before in her life. The time she had spent in the palace of Darkness.

"Send it away," she whispered urgently to her father.

Jacoby shook his head once, and Lili stared at him with wide eyes. The guards and the creature stopped. The guards bowed at the waist to their king. The creature only made a sweeping gesture with its arm—its hand was a sickly green and its fingertips ended in sharp, black fingernails.

"Mortal king," the creature began, its voice high-pitched and grating, "I bring a message from my lord. Your land… is dying. Scorched to death by the sun you all love so much."

"Is it?" the King asked in a noncommittal way.

Lili had to fight rolling her eyes. The cloaked creature cackled.

"Oh, aye. Your crops grow strong and greedy. How long before they come for you? You've fed Mother Earth that which she hungers for the most, and she glutes herself on it. The sun is both life-giver… and taker."

"Your lord cannot help us. Your lord is _dead_," Lili snapped.

Jacoby glared at his daughter, silently admonishing her. The creature lifted a single finger of its grotesque hand and wagged it in the air.

"Not so, not so. For Darkness will never die. He is… less, though. Folly, he sees it as now, to take more than his share. As it was for your kind to do the same. Light and Darkness exist in a balance. For a moment, Darkness reigned supreme… and he was struck down. Now, Light must have the same happen. The scales must hold."

Jacoby leaned forward on his thrown, stroking his thick, dark, and long beard—which hid a round, boyish face that lacked a distinguished chin—thoughtfully. He nodded after a long moment.

"Our priests and sorcerers have been speaking of a similar problem. There must be balance. Has your lord come up with a solution?"

The creature chuckled.

#

"Madness!" Jack exclaimed, leaning against the stone wall of the castle's eastern side. "Did we not fight against this very thing?"

Lili, her eyes downturned, nodded. "Yes, we did. And then, you destroyed Darkness, and that was still, it seems, the wrong thing to do."

"He was going to kill the unicorn!"

Lili lifted a hand, sighing. It was only a year previous she had felt like a wondrous being, friend to the forest. Now, after her mistake with the unicorns and her time in Darkness's presence… she felt as if she had aged a decade.

"I know, Jack. But… the priests, sorcerers, and even those new scientists agree… this could be the solution."

"And what of you? What do you think?" Jack demanded, standing so close to her now that they were barely a breath apart.

She reached up, tentatively, and rested her hand on his cheek.

"Jack, how can you ask me such a thing? How can you begin to question how I feel about a situation I still have nightmares about? About willingly going into this? But… I almost destroyed the world, once. And it seems I'm on the verge of doing it a second time. I _will_ make it right. I love you, always. But… it may be best to forget all of that now."

With that, she turned on her heel and stalked off across the castle's open courtyard. Jack called her name as loudly as he dared but refused to look back. She feared her resolve would not hold if she did. It may be cold and heartless, but she walked as if Jack of the forest had never even existed.

#

There were several compromises made to accommodate both the people of Lili's kingdom and the denizens of the night and dark. The wedding was held in Darkness's castle, at night. The people of Lili's kingdom were guaranteed safe passage to and from the wedding. There would be absolutely no sacrifices of any kind. And, largely, miraculously, the wedding went off without a hitch.

Lili, princess of the kingdom, was forfeiting her right to rule—in favor of her younger sister one day taking her place—in favor of marrying the Lord of Darkness and bringing balance back into the world. Together, it was assumed, they would produce a child borne of both the light and the dark, which would appease both forces of the world.

At the end of the wedding feast—with foods for both the goblins and the humans provided, though Lili did not like to think of where the goblins had obtained their meat—a procession that felt like it was more for a funeral than a wedding followed her and Darkness out of the hall and to their wedding suite. Once they arrived at the ebony doors—which so reminded Lili of the ivory ones of her old home's throne room but perverted in some way—they were both shut up inside, and the raucous, lewd roar from the crowd beyond was greatly reduced.

Lili had refused to wear black as her wedding gown, so her long, white lace dressed looked horribly out of place in a bedroom done in blacks and blood reds. Carefully, slowly, she approached the canopied bed—dressed, again, in silken black. Her heart beat against her chest, as if it were aiming to escape. Behind her, Darkness's hoofed feet clamped loudly.

"A wedding in your world is not half as fun as a wedding in mine," his voice boomed about the room.

Lili didn't turn, simply inclining her head. "Oh, my lord husband?"

Darkness's laugh was low and throaty. She heard his heavy steps once more and fought down the startled jump her body wanted to do when his red, clawed hand came to rest on her shoulder. He brought his hand up and caressed her cheek with the back of his finger, brushing her long veil over the opposite shoulder.

"A marriage is not so until the bride and the groom are consummated to one another. Often, it happens in front of the wedding guests."

Lili felt her face redden, and Darkness chuckled. He leaned down, so that his face was next to hers as he whispered, "Another compromise for my beautiful bride."

He stepped away from her then, and Lili finally steeled herself to turn around. He looked exactly the same as he had the night Jack had destroyed him. She, however, looked like her old self, instead of that ridiculous black gown. Darkness laughed.

"You were beautiful in that dress. Very… desirable."

Her eyes widened. "You can hear my thoughts?"

"Only the ones with strong, dark emotion behind them. For example, I feel your fear. You have feared this moment, though you knew it must happen. I am your husband, and you are my wife. Only our child can restore the balance that we have both caused."

Lili's brow furrowed. "Both?"

Darkness's pronounced brow quirked upward. "Think yourself solely responsible, my lady?"

She gave a quick nod. Now, it looked as though he pitied her. He moved forward, and this time, Lili did not turn away. He was right. She had known what she was in for this night. But this was not at all like most girls pictured their first night with their husbands.

"You fear I will harm you. I would never, my love. And the pain that comes with your first consummation shall quickly fade."

"Y-yes. I had h-heard that there was pain the first time," Lili stammered.

Darkness towered over her, smiling. "I told you that dreams were my specialty. I know how you dreamed of this night… but, with that boy."

In one fluid movement, Darkness stooped and cradled Lili in his arms. He made three quick strides and they were lying on the bed, his body held over hers. Her breath quickened, and she fought tears. She had chosen this. For the good of all. She was her kingdom's protector. She would not show weakness.

"I meant what I said. I won't harm you… but you must have understood that we had to consummate to appease the balance."

She nodded, taking the extra moment to steady her voice. "I did. I do. But… I have never… I just didn't think about…"

He chuckled low in the back of his throat. "My lady, I've never had one as pure as you… I will make you forget all about that boy."

He leaned in, pressing his dark lips to the flesh of her neck. Lili gasped. It surprised her that, despite who was doing it, that it still felt good. She bit her bottom lip and steeled herself. She had made this choice. She had known what was going to happen. She had gone willingly to this demon's arms. He was working his kisses down her body, tearing her bridal gown as he went. A warmth was pooling inside of her, despite her hesitance. She closed her eyes and let Darkness have his way.

#

Darkness came to her often and took her. It always started with a kiss, often to her throat. He had only, thus far, kissed her lips at their wedding. It was not always in their room, either. Once, he had her ride him while he sat on his throne. Lili would go to grave with the knowledge of just how much that had turned her on. In exchange for this willingness, Darkness made her his queen.

She ruled his court of minions by his side, and she used this power to keep those she loved—in her other kingdom—as safe as possible. Darkness would always start to chastise her on this, a rage simmering just beneath his skin. She would simply begin to strip her clothing and take his mind off things.

In the end, it wasn't so bad. And, when her monthly blood didn't flow as it should have, she had less fear than she thought she would have. She even smiled when she informed Darkness of their impending addition. Smiled, and rested her hand protectively over her stomach. He had kissed her lips again that night.

She had done it. She had saved the world she had almost destroyed, not once but twice. Her reward would be a son—a son she would raise to be _good_, regardless of his father. She didn't even mind being wife to the Lord of Darkness. That too had its perks.


End file.
